Austin housing project offers Tesla large-scale test bed to address challenges with energy products
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/austin-housing-project-offers-tesla-large-scale-test-bed-to-address-challen/603670/July 21, 2021
A planned Austin neighborhood is touting itself as "the nation’s most sustainable residential community," with homes outfitted with solar panels and battery storage from Tesla.
The SunHouse at Easton Park development is the result of a partnership between Tesla, Brookfield Asset Management and real estate developer Dacra. Installations at the homes began in June with sample homes that will help guide the rest of the planned development. Homes will also have electric vehicle chargers and other smart features and the community will be outfitted with coordinated transportation and technology solutions, according to a Brookfield press release.
The project also offers Tesla a unique large-scale test bed for its energy products, which have had trouble breaking through in the market because of installation challenges and high prices. Although Tesla CEO Elon Musk has pledged to make his company a market leader in solar with ambitions to build "virtual power plants" that connect homes powered by Tesla solar roofs, he admitted this spring to "significant mistakes" with the company’s solar arm....
